Click the image above to see a screener of duck stock video footage. Clips can be viewed in their entirety and purchased at HDNatureFootage.net or viewed here in Quicktime format.

Filming Duck and Waterfowl Stock Video Footage

Like many game species (i.e., species that are hunted) the best way to film ducks (aka waterfowl) is to go to a place where they are not hunted, such as refuges or parks. Species such as mallards, wood ducks, and widgeon are more likely to be found in urban areas than are species such as pintails, redheads, and canvasbacks.

Many duck actions including feeding, grooming, and flying involve fast actions such as wing beats. Therefore, footage often plays back best at a slight slow motion. So when possible try and film ducks at a higher film rate such as 60p (also known as overcranking due to the method used in the old days with film cameras).

Ducks include some of our most colorful wildlife species, especially the males (usually called drakes). Especially colorful species include wood duck, pintail, mallard, redhead, and shoveler. The nice thing about filming ducks is that they can be found essentially anywhere, wherever there is some water.

Ducks have rebounded dramatically since the beginning of the 20th century when market hunting almost eliminated some species. Many species have recovered greatly, some to the point where they are even a nuisance in some areas. However, there are still challenges to duck conservation such as the lost of habitat including wetlands as well as the upland grasslands that many species nest in. Climate change may also be especially hard on ducks as a warmer and drier landscape may mean less water. Especially significant is the potential loss of temporary wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the central United States and Canada.